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Sunday, September 2, 2012

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 31; the thirty-first edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. The theme for the month is 'Strangers in the Night'

Cab at 0030 hrs is never fun. You are alone and work will still be pending. Roads are empty with occasional bright lights from 24
hours open ATM. And when the radio sings "So gaya yeh jahan.." the
cocktail of happiness and loneliness shroud you. Yet he saw today another soul
from the opposite sex today. His heart did skip few beats but he was aware of the protocol that follow in such situations. You get into the cab, she pulls out a mobile
and there she goes with whatsapp or gtalk or music. You again are left
with the radio singing "So gaya yeh jahaan" and remain strangers in the night.

As he approached the figure, pending work on his mind was replaced
with the conflict happening between unpromising hope and anticipated disappointment. She was
brighter than the lights at 24-hour ATMs. The slightly higher cheek bones and
the beautiful smile accentuated the brightness. He was blinded in the dim
parking light. Yet when she was assigned to the same cab and when she followed
him into the cab he felt hopes rising within him. "Where to?” she asked.
The question evoked more than an answer. Conversation flowed. His jokes were
were getting the laughs. The radio was asked to keep quiet. As the cab sped away,
her head swayed in sync with the song played by wheels on the rain-made
contours in the road. Yet the smiled remained and his tiredness banished to
deserted island of his mind. The rains were there to add the effects for him. He could feel the creaking of his wheel of fortune that had gathered dust making an effort to move. A slight push and he knew he would get the jackpot.

All he wanted now was a traffic jam. He know it can happen and it has happened with the blessings of rains. It was raining But it never happens
when you want it. Roads were emptier than life in a dried out stream. The only thing that he had were the passing moments. Every
passing moment was both an unforgettable memory and a rising fear of
separation. Every single moment was precious though precious little he could do
to hold on to it.

His eyes became like prisoner’s
eyes close to his escape. But she laughed as gaily as a flower that
has just bloomed in first rays of sunlight. "Bhaiyya, aage side me laga
do". The voice sounded the death knell for him. It was
expected, yet his heart had hoped every inch against it. Few moments were all
that he had. It could mark a new beginning or a make it a sweet dream. The new
beginning was what he craved for. The cab stopped. She started to get down. His
eyes fell on her speaking his heart out. Her smile remained steady. He did not want
to leave that gaze. The gaze only disturbed by a police siren coming closer.
His mind was resolute in ignoring it, for his heart yearned for the gaze. Then the
words came out from her beautiful lips - "tereko nahin uthna to
alarm kyon lagata hain!"

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. Introduced By: Shilpa Garg, Participation Count: 03